Last inserting machine



sept. 16, 1947..l N. H; KNWLTON 2,427,356

l l LST INSERTING MACHINE Filed July 14, 1945 s sheets-sheet '2 f 95 7,@ F'QZ 1 N. H. KNOWLTON LAST INSERTING MACHINE Sept. 16, 1947.

Filed July 14, 1945" 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Inventor' Norwood/ Know/fon f urp,

Patented Sept. 16, 1947 LAST AINSERTING VIVIACIJIIN.

Norwood H. Knowlton, Rockport, Mass., assigner .toUnited Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Applicationilulyli, 1945, Serial No.605,149

9 Claims.

in, .while `vint-ended primarily for use upon shoes ,of .the platform type, will be foundl convenient for operation upon-shoes of other typesandalso for r`,general use yin relasting operations. The illustrated machine is vprovided With-a driven friction 4toolengigealrlle with'the bottom `of a shoe, which ,tool is similar to .-that disclosed in United States jLetters Patent No. 1,882,083, #granted -October 1-1, 1932, upon lthe `applicationfof George A. Miner. The illustrated machine further `resembles the .machine disclosed in the patent to Miner in that .it is .provided with a treadle-operated last support by -which the operator can bring ashoe on a last carried vby Ythe last `support into -'engagement With the frictlontool.

Although the machine disclosed in the abovementioned patent to Miner :was designed for removingfshoes from lasts, it lis evident that `it may `be so Aused .as to exert its --'shoe moving `force in a direction -to urge a shoe further upon the last. However, -to insure the best :results :in forcing shoes upon lasts, it -is :desirable to make lprovision for fa .certain freedom of manipulation by vthe operator in presenting the shoe -to Ithe driven friction tool.

`It is an `object of the -present invention, L'therefore, to provide a machine of the character described, -so arranged ast-0 permit such manipula- 'tion of the shoe by v.the operator. 'in accordance iwith `a feature lof the invention, the illustrative machine -v-.is provided withaflast supportwhich is pivotally mounted for `tilting nlovementabout an axis approximately parallel `to the longitudinal axis of the-shoe bottom. Suchamounting offers several advantages. Vift ,enables the :operator -to turntheilast support awayfrom the friction V:tool A,to a convenient position for unloading andreloading; it permits'the last -supportto turn-freely .under 'pressure `of :the work against :the friction tool rand thereby equalize such pressure trans- -versely` across theshoe bottom; fandgit affords the operator an opportunity to tilt the last support forcibly lby lhand ,to .one side .or 4the'other during the operation and thereby shift Vthe center of lpressure laterally of the yshoe bottom `Whenever it'isgdesirablegt o dose.

vIn zaccordance with another feature of the 'in- -vention, the last supportis` mounted ,for swinging movement about `an VAaxis which is approximately perpendicular to fthe general plane of the shoe ,bottom 'and `which :passes through the forepart Yof the shoe bottom. .The operai-,cris thusenabled to vary `the direction of theshoe withrespect to the driven friction tool `and thereby 4to Yvary .the relative direction of the force exerted by the friction tool .against the shoe bottom. vThe illustrative machinemayk further ybe .provided with an abutment engageable with the forepart of alas't through Vwhich pressure .can be exerted to A.urge .the Lshoe Ybottom against the friction tool. ,.-A Ypair of abutments -may also -be `,tuovided which are engageable with .the oppositelsides yof .thelast ,to :hold the last from fturning .about .alast .pin which engages .the fusual thimblehole V4ofthe last.

These and other features .of the Linvention,in cluding certain vdetails of construction `and .combinations of parts, will vbe yset .forthin connection with an illustrative -machine and `vvillbe pointedA out in the .appended claims.

Referring now vto the laccompany-ingdrawings,

Fig. .1 isa side elevation, in section,.of ian .illustrative .machine embodying .the invention;

Fig. .2 isa f ront elevation ofthe rmachine;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged front elevation of aporrtion of vthe machine, showing :the .last support .inloading position;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation ofthe portiomoffthe --machine shown .in Fig. .3, with =the :last support in ,operating position;

Fig. 5 lis a side ,elevationof.certain-portions .of vthe machine equipped .with .a modified uform .of last lsupport, said last `support being `shown l,in loadingposition;

Fig. 6 is a view similar .to #.Fg. -5, shovvingthe lastzsupport in operating position;

Fig. .7 .is a viewzof vthe shoe and -last-onfthe-last support, looking in thedirection-of ,the elast pin; and

Fig. 81is a .detail illustrating-one ofthe Supports for thefriction belt.

The .work engaging instrum'entalities-offthe illustrative .machine comprise a friction'belt 20of rubber or other suitable friction material and fa last pin J22 secured ,in a block l211. The last i.pin 22 is .adapted to engage the Ausual -thimble hole of a last L .upon which-is loosely mounted a shoe S, the toeof-the `shoe pointing dow-hand the-general ,plane ofthe shoebottom being but 'slightly inclined to the vertical. The block :24 .has :a channel-shaped portion comprising a .base 26 cushioned vby a leather pad 21 to 'form an abutment which engages the top of .theforepartof the `last L to sustain a. thrust against the .shoe bottom, and a pair-ef side Walls ,Z8-Which loosely ,engage .opposite sides of the top of rthe Aforepart of the last to limit the turning :movement of -the last about the last pin 22. The machine is so organized as to enable the operator to urge the block 24 toward the belt 28 until the shoe bottom is engaged by the belt, whereupon the belt, which is driven while in frictional engagement with the shoe bottom, will urge the shoe upwardly upon the last.

The belt 20 (Fig. 1) is loosely mounted upon a pair of rolls 28 and 3|), and it surrounds a rubber covered roll 32 secured upon a shaft 34 which is journaled n suitable bearings formed in the upper portion of a hollow frame 35. An opening 38 (Fig. 2) is formed in the forward portion of the frame 35 to enable the shoe S to be brought into engagement with the belt 28. The shaft 34 is continuously driven in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. l through gearing 33, a vertical shaft 4|), gearing 42, a horizontal shaft |54, gearing 45, and a motor 158. The roll 29 (see also Fig. 4) is mounted for free rotation upon a rod 50 which is secured between a pair of ears '5.2 depending from a shelf 54, The roll 38 (see also Fig. 8) is mounted for free rotation upon a rod 58 the ends of which are secured in a fork 58 carried by a rod 8|) slidably mounted for purposes of adjustment in a guide bracket 62 secured by screws 84 (Fig. 1) to the frame 36. This arrangement for mounting the rod 55 enables it to be adjusted forwardly and rearwardly to provide as much or as little slack in the belt 2n as may be required. The rod (ttl is clamped in its adjusted position by a setscrew 86. The belt 28, when not in use, rests lightly against the roll `32 and is driven idly by such contact, but 'when'pressed against the roll 32 by the shoe bottom it will be driven forcibly by the roll 32 and will, in turn, exert force against the shoe bottom in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. l. The belt 2|), the roll 32 together with its driving mechanism, and the frame 33 are all substantially like the corresponding portionsl of the machine disclosed in Patent No. 1,882,083 above referred to.

The block 24 is mounted, through connecting memberslater to be described, upon the upper end of aV lever 68 having a forked lower end portion which is pivotally mounted upon a pair of trunnion pins 'I8 (Fig. 1) extending diametrically in a horizontal direction from a sleeve l2. Within the sleeve 'I2 is a sleeve ld. which, in turn, is freely rotatable upon a horizontal pin 'I6 secured in and extending forwardly from the front wall of the frame 36. The sleeve |2 is slidable forwardly and rearwardly, for purposes of adjustment, upon the sleeve 'M and it may be secured in any desired position of such adjustment by a clam-ping bolt T! operated through a hand wheel '18. The arm 68 is maintained in an upright position and is prevented from rotating about the axis of the pin 'H6 by a pin 88 secured in and extending forwardly from the front wall of the frame 36 and engaging alongitudinal slot 82 formed in the arm 88. The arm 68 has a portion 84 which extends rearwardly through an opening in the front wall of the frame 36 and which is pivotally connected to the lower end of a link 86 the upper end of which link is pivotally ,connected to a lever 88 fulcrumed upon a pin 9|) secured to and within the frame 38. A treadle rod 92 pivotally connected at its upper end to the lever 88 and at its lower end to a treadle 94 enables the operator to swing the arm 68 rearwardly by depression of the treadle. A spring 9G normally holds the treadle in an upper stop position with the arm 68 swung outwardly away from the roll 3,2, The arm 68, together with its supporting and operating instrumentalities, is similar to the corresponding member of Patent No. 1,882,083 above mentioned, except that in the machine illustrated herein freedom of angular movement of the arm 83 about the axis of the pin 'I6 is prevented by the stationary pin 85B engaging the slot 82.

Slidable for heightwise movement in a guideway formed in the upper portion of the arm G8 and extending upwardly beyond the end of the arm 23 is a rod 98 (see also Fig. 3) having a longitudinal slot |00 which is engaged by a turneddown end of a screw |82 to prevent the rod from turning. Rack teeth (not shown herein but similar to corresponding teeth disclosed in Patent No. 1,882,083) formed on the rod 98 are engaged by a pinion operated by a knurled head |02 to effect heightwise adjustment of the rod 98 in the arm 68. Rotatably mounted upon the upper reduced portion of the rod 93 is a sleeve |16. A screw 08 and a Washer I 89 retain the sleeve I 86 against heightwise movement on the rod 98, and the shoulder formed by the reduction in diameter of the upper portion of the rod holds the sleeve against downward movement. Inclined upwardly from the sleeve |86 is an extension I||l in which a bearing pin I|2 is secured by a setscrew M. The axis of the pin I E 2 is substantially parallel tothe axis of the last pin 22 (both being inclined upwardly from the horizontal at an angle of about twelve degrees) and it passes through the forepart of the shoe bottom at or close to the locality at which the shoe bottom engages the friction belt 2|). The block 24 is pivotally mounted upon the pin IIZ and is retained thereon by a ilange IIS which enters a groove (the bottom of which is numbered II'I) formed in the block. The upper surface of the flange |I6 may be arcuate about the axis of the pin II2 to enable its corners to clear the bottom I Il of the groove, The flange IIS serves also to brace the block 24 and relieve stress which would otherwise have to be carried by the pin |I2. The outer end of the pin I |2 has a head I I8 upon which is formed a flat surface |20 (see also Fig. 7). Housed within a bore in the block 24 is a plunger |22 pressed downwardly by a spring |24, a lower end of this plunger engaging the ilat surface |20 to hold the block in a neutral position about the axis of the pin H2.

It will be observed that the axis of the sleeve |86 is disposed at a considerable angle to that of the last pin 22 and approximately parallel to the longitudinal axis of the shoe bottom. The

last pin is so directed as to support the last for presentation of the shoe bottom to the roll 32, and the axis of the sleeve |86 is so directed as to permit the shoe to turn laterally to equalize the pressure of the roll on either side of the longitudinal center line of the shoe bottom and also to permit the operator to turn the block 24 and the last pin 22 to an out-of-the-wayposition wherein a last may be applied to and removed from the last pin without interference from the roll 32.

The machine is further provided with a stationary upright last pinY |26 (see Fig. 2) carried by a bracket |28 secured upon the right hand side of the upper portion of the machine frame.

In the performance of the operation, the last L is placed upon the stationary pin |26 and the shoe S is loosely mounted on the last by hand. The operator then transfers the last L to the pin 22, irst swinging the block 24 about the axis f the sleeve Los until the last pin extends laterally of the machine, as shown in Fig. 3. Some operators find it more convenient to turn the block 24 even further, until it extends forwardly of the machine. Then, having placed the last L on the pin 22, the operator turns the block 24 back into the position shown in Fig, 1 with the shoe bottom facing the belt 2B, and depresses the treadle 94, whereupon the bottom of the shoe is brought into engagement with the belt and the rotation of the roll 32- is, transmitted frictionally through the belt against the shoe bottom to force. the shoe further upon the last.

As the bottom of the shoe presses against the belt 2.0., the block 24 may tilt slightly to one side or the other about the axis of the sleeve |06 automatically to balance the pressure and insure its even distribution on opposite sides ofthe longitudinal center line of the shoe. The operator may sometimes be able to facilitate the movement of the shoe upon the last by attempting to tilt the block 24 forcibly by hand, thereby shifting the center of pressure laterally of the shoe bottom. In most cases, however, he can facilitate the movement of the shoe to greater advantage by swingingV the block 2x4 about the pin ||2 to vary the direction of the longitudinal axis of the shoe and thereby to vary the relative direction of the force applied by the belt 20.

Such swinging of the block 2li will not appreciably change the locality of engagement between the shoe bottom and the friction belt 2G because the axis of the pin ||2 passes through or close to said locality. Good results are often obtained by swinging the block 24 about the pin ||2 rst in one direction and then in the other to cause the applied force to act successively along the lines of the opposite margins of the shoe bottom. The full force of the belt 2e is thus applied in the direction of'one margin of the shoe to force that portion of the shoe upon the last, and then it is applied in the direction of the opposite mar'- gin to force the opposite margin upon the last. Such successive applications of pressure in the appropriate directions appear more effective than a single application directed along the longitudinal center line of the shoe. Since the axis of the pin ||2 passes through, or close to, the area of contact between the shoe bottom and the belt 20, swinging the shoe support about this axis will not unduly shift the contacting area of the shoe bottom with respect to the belt. As soon as the shoe has been forced far enough upon the last, the operator secures it in position by a tack |25 which he drives through material of the shoe into the heel end of the last.

Certain types of shoe can best be operated upon with the last in broken or collapsed condition, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. To accommodate such shoes, the machine is provided with a block |38 in place of the block 24, the arrangements for mounting the block upon the extension lli! being in al1 respects similar to the corresponding arrangements already described for the block 24. Secured in the block |30 is a last pin |32 extending upwardly at an inclination greater than that of the last pin 22 in order to hold a collapsed or broken two-part last L with a shoe S loosely mounted thereon in proper relation to the roll 32. The last L is held against turning about the last pin |32 by a pair of ears |34 extending from the block |3i| and engageable with the upper portion of the cone of the last rearwardly of the last pin. In operating the machine with the block |30, it is unnecessary to swing the block about the pin 98 to place. the last L! upon the. last pin |32. The last may be `placed upon the last pin in the position shown in Fig. 5, whereupon depression of the treadle Will bring the shoe into operative engagement, with the friction belt 23, as shown in ig. 6. When using the machine fitted with the block 130, the thrust of the shoe against the friction beit is transmitted entirely through the last pin |32 and not through an abutment which engages the forepart: of the last, asin the case of the block 2o.

Having described my invention, what I claim as newl and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A machine for forcing shoes on lasts comprising a pin for supporting a last, a driven friction tool engageable with the bottom of a shoe loosely mounted on the last, a block in which said last pin is secured, an arm pivotally mounted for swinging movement toward and from said friction tool, a pivotal connection b-y which said block; is mounted on the. free end of said arm for rotary movement about an axis disposed at a considerable angle to that of the last pin and approximately parallel to the longitudinal axis of the shoe bottom, and treadle connections for swinging said arm to move the block toward the friction tool to bring the bottom of the shoe on the last into engagement with the friction tool.

2. A, machine foreffecting relative movement between. shoes and lasts comprising a support for a. lasst, a driven friction tool engageable with the bottom, of a. shoe on the last, a carrier upon which said last support is pivotally mounted for swinging; movement about an axis which is approximately perpendicular to the general plane of the shoe bottom, and means for effecting relative movement between the carrier and the friction tool to bring about operative engagement between the shoe bottom and the tool.

3:. A machine for effecting relative movement between shoes and lasts comprising a support for a last, a driven friction tool engageable with the bottom of a shoe on the last, a carrier upon which said last support is pivotally mounted for swinging movement about an axis which is approximately perpendicular to the general plane of the shoe bottom, resilient means for yieldably maintaining said last support in a predetermined position about said axis, and means for effecting relative movement between the carrier and the friction tool to bring about operative engagement between the shoe bottom and the tool.

4. A machine for forcing shoes on lasts comprising a pin for supporting a last, a driven friction too-1 engageable with the bottom of a shoe loosely mounted on the last, a block in which said last pin is secured, an arm pivotally mounted for swinging movement toward and from said friction tool, means for securing said block o-n said arm with provision for relative pivotal movement of the block about an axis which is approximately perpendicular to the general plane of the shoe bottom and which passes through the forepart of the shoe bottom, and treadle connections for swinging said arm to move the block toward the friction tool to bring the bottom of the shoe on the last into engagement with the friction tool.

5. A machine for forcing shoes on lasts comprising a pin for supporting a last, a driven friction tool engageable with the bottom of a shoe loosely mounted on the last, a block in which said last pin is secureda second block, a pivotal 7 connection by which the first-mentioned block is mounted on the second-mentioned block for turning movement about an aXis approximately parallel to the longitudinal axis of the shoe bottom, an arm pivotally mounted for swinging movement toward and from said friction tool, a pivotal connection by which the second-mentioned block is mounted on said arm for swinging movement about an axis which is approximately perpendicular to the general plane of the shoe bottom and which passes through the forepart of the shoe bottom, and treadle connections for swinging said arm to move the last toward the friction tool to bring the bottom of the shoe on the last into engagement with the friction tool.

6. A machine for effecting relative movement between shoes and lasts comprising a driven friction tool engageable with the bottom of a shoe on a last to move the shoe relatively to the last, a last support-l including an abutment engageable with the forepart of the last Yto sustain a thrust against the shoe bottom, and means for effecting a relative movement of approach between the abutment and the friction tool to cause an operating pressure to be developed between the shoe bottom and the friction tool.

7. A machine for forcing shoes on lasts comprising a last pin engageable with the thimble hole of a last, a driven friction tool engageable with the bottom of a shoe loosely mounted on the last to force the shoe furtherv upon the last, an abutment engageable with the forepart of the last to sustain a thrust against the shoe bottom, a common support for said last pin and said abutment, and means for moving said common support toward the friction tool to cause the shoe bottom to develop an operating pressure against the friction tool.

S. A machine for forcing shoes on lasts comprising a last pin engageable with the thimble hole of a two-part last, a friction tool engageable with the bottom of a shoe loosely mounted on the last to force the shoe further upon the last, a channel-shaped support having a bottom wall engageable with the top of the forepart of the last and having side walls engageable with the opposite sides of the last to hold the last against turning about the last pin, and means for moving said channel-shaped support toward the friction tool to cause said bottom wall to press against the forepart of the last and thereby cause the shoe bottom to develop an operating pressure against the friction tool.

9. A machine for forcing shoes on lasts comprising a last pin engageable with the thimble hole of a two-part last, a block in which said last pin is mounted, said block having a channelshaped portion forming a bottom wall engageable with the top of the forepart of the last and having side walls engageable with the opposite sides of the last to hold the last against turning about the last pin, a driven friction tool engageable with the bottom of a shoe loosely mounted on the last to force the shoe further upon the last, a supporting arm for said block pivotally mounted for swinging movement, and treadle connections for swinging said arm to move the block toward the friction tool and thereby to cause the bottom wall of said channelshaped portion to press against the forepart of the last to develop an operating pressure between the shoe bottom and the friction tool.

NORWOOD H. KNOWLTON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the iile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

